A Whale of a Tale: A Very Fishy TCD Trip Report!

[Live4FW 30]

Stop. You are making me hungry.

You haven't really tasted grilled penguin, have you?

When were you at the North Pole?

BTW, if you visit Penguin Encounter late in the day, you can watch a castmember hosing down the "used fish." I'm sure that doesn't help the aroma in there.

TCD

TCD,

I have a riddle for you....

Why do polar bears not eat penguins?

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

We saw a preview for the Dolphin Tales movie when we went to watch the Winnie the Pooh movie. We have it on our list of upcoming movies that we want to see.

I just realized that the Sea World in Florida is the only Sea World Park that I have never been to. We did give my son the option when he was about 4 years old if he want to go to Sea World or Disney World for a day. He chose to go to MIckey Mouse's house.

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

once again a week with bad internet reception leaves me behind......but I'm back! I wondered where everyone went when the email notifications dried up and sure enough TCD has a new trip report out.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

TCD,

I have a riddle for you....

Why do polar bears not eat penguins?

I don't have a witty answer to your riddle.

But, I'm glad that someone caught my erroneous North Pole reference.

TCD

[Live4FW 30]

I don't have a witty answer to your riddle.

But, I'm glad that someone caught my erroneous North Pole reference.

TCD

In my last company we did projects all over the world, so you really had to know your geography. This was my boss's favorite interview question. Sorry for picking on you but it just jumped out at me.

Great report and we do Sea World quite often so it is really great to see a TR on it.

[Lil Lisa 53]

YAY!! Another TCD trip report. I'm not a huge Sea World fan, but I am rivited. :popcorn:

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

We haven't been to Sea World in 20 years ... maybe we should give it another try! Nope, just don't want to give up a day in WDW for it. Maybe when we retire and spend some extended time at the fort ...

[stefa70 205]

Baby hanging?! :dropjaw:

Another great update. Beer & Orcas = Party time!

Free Willy!

FREEBIRD!

[Roller ... aka Ed 351]

Stop. You are making me hungry.

You haven't really tasted grilled penguin, have you?

When were you at the North Pole?

BTW, if you visit Penguin Encounter late in the day, you can watch a castmember hosing down the "used fish." I'm sure that doesn't help the aroma in there.

TCD

Ate penguin ... no comment

North Pole? A lot closer to the South Pole ...

Hosing down after birds that eat fish DOES contribute to the aroma ... trust me.

[devores 382]

TCD,

It is becomming a trend with you to have some jackwagon stand in front of you while youre trying to get some picture. Almost every TR you do has one in it.

We used to goto Sea World all of the time. We didnt neccesiarily love SW, but we got in free and it was a nice way to spend a day. My DWs cousin is a Dolphin trainer there and he would get us in free and then backstage after the dolphin show to feed and pet the dolphins and whales. If you went in the last couple of years and watched the dolphin show, he was the one who rode on the backs of the dolphins like skis.

We did go right after Manta opened and rode it within a week of it opening. I like this coaster, and I am not a huge coaster fan. Im not sure if it is because its new and smooth, or if the whole laying down makes it more bearable.

Great TR. I had never thought of doing a TR for other attractions/entertainment in the area. I could do a TR almost everyweekend.

[Lou... 3,118]

One thing that tells you that you aren't at Disney are these beer vendors right in the stadium:

You see those metal beer bottles?

At Discovery Cove they're free.

The last I heard, Sea World is owned by Busch Entertainment, which was owned by Anheuser Busch and sold to another company. But I think there is still some connection to the beer company.

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

The last I heard, Sea World is owned by Busch Entertainment, which was owned by Anheuser Busch and sold to another company. But I think there is still some connection to the beer company.

When I went there in December 09, they still had the Budweiser Clydesdales there and I got a picture with one. They were about to be moved somewhere else though, because yes, Anheuser Busch had sold Sea World.

[Starbuc71 162]

Living in FL for over 20 years, we have yet to visit sea world. I really have had no desire since I'm not a "sit at show in blazing hot temps" kinda guy. The wife has been wanting to take the kids for the reasons you stated is much more kid friendly than other places. I'm glad to see your pics since I have never seen the things up close. Looking forward to seeing more. :popcorn:

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

We went to the big Shamu show the last time we were there and all my son could talk about was some big white bird that kept trying to steal the fish. I guess he missed the big black and white things jumping out of the water

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

We headed over to the big whale stadium to get a good seat for the whale show.

One thing that tells you that you aren't at Disney are these beer vendors right in the stadium:

You see those metal beer bottles?

At Discovery Cove they're free.

As many as you like.

I'm not kidding.

TCD

How on earth did I miss this the first time I read this? Thank you Magic Bus for drawing my attention to it. Now I know exactly how I will convince hubby we should go to Sea World.:parrot:

As an aside every time my youngest dd sees this green bird on these boards she asks, "How come there is a dancing booger?" I guess it's time to get her eyes checked again. :rofl2:

Ok now back to my original comment (hey I hijacked my own comment I think you all are rubbing off on me.) Since we will already be in Florida of course I will then have to convince him that we may as well go ahead and visit Disney World and the Fort. I mean with it being so close and all.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

In my last company we did projects all over the world, so you really had to know your geography. This was my boss's favorite interview question. Sorry for picking on you but it just jumped out at me.

Great report and we do Sea World quite often so it is really great to see a TR on it.

No worries. I made the North Pole reference intentionally, just to see if anyone would catch it. They actually had a big sign up in the exhibit pointing out that despite what we often see in movies, penguins and polar bears live on opposite ends of the world, and have no contact in their natural environments.

YAY!! Another TCD trip report. I'm not a huge Sea World fan, but I am rivited. :popcorn:

What did Sea World ever do to you?

True, it's not Disney. But, these days, that isn't necessarily a negative thing.

We haven't been to Sea World in 20 years ... maybe we should give it another try! Nope, just don't want to give up a day in WDW for it. Maybe when we retire and spend some extended time at the fort ...

I hear you.

It had been a few years since we visited, because we prefer WDW over Sea World. But, there's nothing wrong with Sea World.

Baby hanging?! :dropjaw:

Another great update. Beer & Orcas = Party time!

Free Willy!

FREEBIRD!

LOL!

Ate penguin ... no comment

North Pole? A lot closer to the South Pole ...

Hosing down after birds that eat fish DOES contribute to the aroma ... trust me.

No comment= yes.

Where in the world did you eat penguin?

TCD,

It is becomming a trend with you to have some jackwagon stand in front of you while youre trying to get some picture. Almost every TR you do has one in it.

We used to goto Sea World all of the time. We didnt neccesiarily love SW, but we got in free and it was a nice way to spend a day. My DWs cousin is a Dolphin trainer there and he would get us in free and then backstage after the dolphin show to feed and pet the dolphins and whales. If you went in the last couple of years and watched the dolphin show, he was the one who rode on the backs of the dolphins like skis.

We did go right after Manta opened and rode it within a week of it opening. I like this coaster, and I am not a huge coaster fan. Im not sure if it is because its new and smooth, or if the whole laying down makes it more bearable.

Great TR. I had never thought of doing a TR for other attractions/entertainment in the area. I could do a TR almost everyweekend.

That's cool that your DW's cousin is a dolphin trainer!

We didn't catch the dolphin show on this trip.

We definitely will next time.

The last I heard, Sea World is owned by Busch Entertainment, which was owned by Anheuser Busch and sold to another company. But I think there is still some connection to the beer company.

I am not sure of the current details, but they used to have free beer samples at Sea World and Busch Gardens. That stopped recently. Apparently, there is still some connection with Anheuser Busch.

When I went there in December 09, they still had the Budweiser Clydesdales there and I got a picture with one. They were about to be moved somewhere else though, because yes, Anheuser Busch had sold Sea World.

I think the whole Anheuser Busch company was acquired by another company, and then the theme parks were sold off. I don't know the details, but the Clydesdales and beer samples are gone.

Living in FL for over 20 years, we have yet to visit sea world. I really have had no desire since I'm not a "sit at show in blazing hot temps" kinda guy. The wife has been wanting to take the kids for the reasons you stated is much more kid friendly than other places. I'm glad to see your pics since I have never seen the things up close. Looking forward to seeing more. :popcorn:

Well, there are a lot of outside shows at Sea World. But there are some inside ones too. I think you should take the kiddos when things cool off in a few months. It really is a great park for kids.

We went to the big Shamu show the last time we were there and all my son could talk about was some big white bird that kept trying to steal the fish. I guess he missed the big black and white things jumping out of the water

LOL!

I saw that bird! And, he is still trying to steal the fish!

Truth is, parts of that show are a bit boring. There's a lot of extraneous stuff about the environment and how wonderful Sea World is for keeping these whales captive and forcing them to perform. I thought the bird was more interesting than some of that propaganda they were feeding the audience.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Picking up where we left off . . .

After the whale show, we headed over to the Wild Arctic exhibit.

We all like this one.

It begins with a simulator ride that is supposed to make you feel like you have arrived in the arctic via helicopter.

The simulator is kind of old.

Kind of like the Star Wars one at WDW before the recent upgrade.

I am not a big fan.

Fortunately, you have the option of skipping the simulator and going right in to the building and exhibits by foot.

That's what we did.

The inside of this place is cool.

The first exhibit you come to is a big room with an open pool in it. There is a wall of ice there. Here, the girls are engaged in a contest to see who could keep her hand on the ice the longest:

One of the twins said she wanted to lick the ice. I told her go ahead. So she did:

I was hoping that her tongue would get stuck there.

But it didn't.

There are beluga whales swimming in the big pool. You can see them from up top here, and they also have an underwater observation area:

The light is very low in this exhibit, so it is hard to get photos. After the beluga whale display, there is a polar bear habitat. Then you go down a level, and they have a walrus exhibit. Near the walrus exhibit, they have this interactive display where you can see how long you can hold your breath, and compare yourself to critters that live in the sea. I always used to impress the girls here by acting like I was holding my breath. I would "cover" my mouth and nose with my hand, but not to tightly. That allowed me to secretly take breaths. Eventually, I was found out. Here is one of the twins seeing how long she could hold her breath. With as much as this girl talks, I figured she could do better than 43 seconds:

We stayed in this exhibit for quite a while. Even though it was 90+ outside, we actually got cold hanging out in here.

Next, we planned to hit an inside animal show called Pets Ahoy.

We had time before that to visit the shark exhibit.

The shark exhibit used to be called Terrors of the Deep. Now it's just called Sharks!

The highlight of this exhibit is a clear tunnel with a moving sidewalk that takes you right through a big tank of sharks.

Cool.

It is dark in there, and the clear tunnel has thick walls, so taking photos is tricky. But here's a few that will give you an idea:

From here, we headed over to the Pets Ahoy show.

TCD

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

So TCD was a cheater, I love it. :rofl2: I really need to get back to Sea World, I did take a look today at Discovery Cove, that is now on my list of things to do.

The last time I was at Sea World I went to Pets Ahoy, I loved it. Can't wait to see your pictures from the show :popcorn:

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I don't have any photos of the Pets Ahoy show. We got there 15 minutes early, and the theater was almost full. We sat in the back row. I guess a lot of folks were glad to get in to the air conditioning. This show is great. It hasn't changed at all since the last time we were here. It is a show using household pets to perform. Allegedly, all of the performers were rescued from local animal shelters. I am suspicious about this claim, as these animals are very well behaved and talented.

There were storm clouds gathering as we entered the Pets Ahoy show, and the sky was very dark when we came out. We heard thunder in the distance. From previous visits, we knew that thunder shut down all of the major rides at Sea World. Which kind of makes things a mess. The girls had planned to ride Manta again, and we headed over there. It hadn't been closed yet, but there were a lot of castmembers acting like it would be closed soon. The wait time was posted as 45 minutes. We passed.

We headed over to the manatee exhibit. The manatee exhibit sits off to the side of the park, and doesn't get a lot of traffic. It definitely has not been refurbished in a while, and kind of looks beat up. The manatees, however, looked fine:

There was a baby manatee in the tank. You can see him toward the left in these photos:

Cute!

When we came out of the manatee exhibit, it was still dark, but it had not yet started raining. It was clearly only a matter of time. It was getting to be close to 5 pm. We decided to call it a day.

There has always been a flamingo display at the front of Sea World. As we walked past, we noticed what looked like a nest with an egg in it:

And, this apparently is a young flamingo:

I guess what we thought was a nest, was actually a nest, because one of the birds roosted on it:

From here, we headed on out. We made it to the car just as the first rain drops hit.

Good timing.

Although we hadn't planned to, we decided to stop by WDW on the way home. We agreed to eat dinner at one of the resorts. One of the DD's suggested the Polynesian. Which is fine, because we all like it. The other DD said why don't we get a Giddyap and Go from Trail's End. I loved that idea. It didn't take much to convince the other twin.

So we headed to the Fort.

I have some photos of a few interesting things there.

So, please be sure to check back.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

It isn't a long drive from Sea World to Fort Wilderness, and it wasn't any time at all before we pulled in to our favorite place in the world.

It was still raining, but we didn't let a little rain stop us from taking a look around.

Since we weren't registered guests, that meant we had to rely on buses and our feet.

Which is really no big deal at the Fort.

The first thing of interest we found was at the cabin pool.

As most of you will recall, the pool was closed for several weeks at the beginning of summer for renovation.

To our surprise, it was closed again, with a construction fence and sign posted:

These signs announcing that the pool closes at dusk were posted. But, it wasn't dusk:

This sign says the pool is closed for inclement weather. But, the other sign said it was for construction. And a construction fence was up:

So, what the Fort is going on?

Those of you with good memories may remember that there has been a small, but lingering, mystery concerning something new that showed up at the cabin pool after the recent renovations. I am referring to this raised concrete cylinder with the box on front of it here in front of the shower:

Remember?

I couldn't figure out what that was there for.

Nobody else has either.

Well, let's see if we can work on that mystery now, because there was more to see here at the pool.

This big flat bed trailer was parked in the golf cart parking area:

And, these three light poles were lying on the ground next to the trailer:

There are wires sticking out of the bottom of the poles:

Hmmm. Three light poles.

Let's take another look at that mystery item:

And, now that I'm looking, I noticed that there is another one over by the gate:

And, sure enough, there is a third one over by the other side of the restroom/laundry building:

And, look- the top of the wooden box looks like it's open on the one over there:

That made it easy to look in to the boxes. Nothing to see here, just some wires and some bolts sticking up from the concrete below:

Here's a shot from this box, looking across the pool. You can see the box we looked at first over there behind the shower:

And, here's one last look, showing the box that we just looked inside, and the box over by the shower. The third box is off to the left, by the gate, outside the area shown in this photo:

I was really hoping to solve the mystery of those raised concrete circles and the wooden boxes.

Let's see-

-We have the pool closed for some type of construction.

-There are three new light poles lying outside of the pool.

-There are three circles with wires sticking out of them stationed around the pool perimeter.

I got nothing.

I'm sure I will figure it out one of these days.

As you can see, I was getting rained on while taking these photos, so it was time to move on.

I will leave the mystery solving for another day.

Next up, we visit a couple of our favorite loops.

And we see some things that we didn't expect.

TCD

[SCTigerCock 171]

Gee, Can't figure it out either....

:suspense:

[stefa70 205]

Way down yonder where the dolphins play,

Where they dive and splash all day,

The waves roll in and the waves roll out,

See the water squirting out of your spout.

Baby beluga, baby Beluga, sing your little song,

Sing for all your friends, we like to hear you.

I made the mistake of taking Nathen on the simulator ONCE! He hated it. From then on, we also had to use the walk-in entrance.

How cool that there was a baby manatee, and a baby flamingo? You know I now have a soft spot for baby manatees.

I gave you a Fail on your last trip to the Fort for not figuring out the raised concrete circles in the pool area.

Good job for going back and (sort of) solving the mystery.

Can't wait to see what you saw, that you didn't expect!?!?!

[Live4FW 30]

I was really hoping to solve the mystery of those raised concrete circles and the wooden boxes.

Let's see-

-We have the pool closed for some type of construction.

-There are three new light poles lying outside of the pool.

-There are three circles with wires sticking out of them stationed around the pool perimeter.

I got nothing.

I'm sure I will figure it out one of these days.

As you can see, I was getting rained on while taking these photos, so it was time to move on.

I will leave the mystery solving for another day.

Next up, we visit a couple of our favorite loops.

And we see some things that we didn't expect.

TCD

Yes, I think you did. Not only did you solve the boxes issue but also the "pool closes at dusk issue"!

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Let me think

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Gee, Can't figure it out either....

:suspense:

Good.

I'm glad that you admitted that.

I don't feel so bad now.

Way down yonder where the dolphins play,

Where they dive and splash all day,

The waves roll in and the waves roll out,

See the water squirting out of your spout.

Baby beluga, baby Beluga, sing your little song,

Sing for all your friends, we like to hear you.

I made the mistake of taking Nathen on the simulator ONCE! He hated it. From then on, we also had to use the walk-in entrance.

How cool that there was a baby manatee, and a baby flamingo? You know I now have a soft spot for baby manatees.

I gave you a Fail on your last trip to the Fort for not figuring out the raised concrete circles in the pool area.

Good job for going back and (sort of) solving the mystery.

Can't wait to see what you saw, that you didn't expect!?!?!

Raffi!

Yikes!

J/K.

I've said before that Mrs. TCD is a pre-school teacher. I have heard enough Raffi to last a lifetime.

Since you can't wait to see what I saw and didn't expect, I am uploading those photos now.

Please stand by.

Yes, I think you did. Not only did you solve the boxes issue but also the "pool closes at dusk issue"!

Who?

What?

OK- you're right. The pool closes at dusk issue bothered me on the last visit, as the official directory still showed the cabin pool as being open until midnight. It appears that there was a delay in getting the new lights installed, and that the early closing was just temporary.

I guess.

I'll have to confirm that on my next visit.

And, I'll need to find another mystery to solve.

TCD